How city like is the city of Syracuse?

I am a regular decision applicant for the class of 2019 and I am from a very big city where we take pride in our sports teams, have many memorable land marks, and have great music, art, museums, and cultural centers. Does Syracuse have a lot like that? On Collegeboard, Syracuse is described as a “medium sized city”. I’m an applicant to the Newhouse School and wanted to know what the city news internships are like. I know Syracuse is the country’s #1 party school, but I just want to know what’s available when I don’t want to party.

syracuse is a cross between akron, gary indiana, and miami in 1983. there is essentially nothing to see in this once proud city. everyone’s moved out. crime is sickening. get the latest crime info at syracuse.com.

seconding that, it was pretty bleak growing up there and 30+ years later it is much worse.

I am going to respectfully disagree with both of the previous posters. Full disclosure: I am a SU alum who graduated 30+ years ago and go back very often to campus for a number of events. I fact, I was just in Syracuse this weekend to watch and be part of the record-breaking largest on campus crowd to have ever watched a basketball game - the SU - Duke game.

Syracuse is, IMHO, a very nice medium size city. It has a very large mall, Destiny USA, where you will find every store imaginable. Canadians drive hundred miles to go shopping at Destiny USA. The city itself is very clean, and does a very good job of clearing roadways of snow. I would also add that if you are into winter sports, there are a number of sites nearby where you can go skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, etc. There are a myriad of restaurants, including ethnic restaurants, and very good transportation resources, including a very nice airport, Amtrak trains, and buses. I live in the mid west and would not compare Syracuse to Gary, Indiana or Akron, Ohio. Syracuse, with all due respect to people in those cities, is a much nicer city.

In regards to sports, the Central New York area is very proud and supports the SU teams, ranging from basketball, football, to lacrosse. The Carrier Dome is on the circuit for major concerts - Billy Joel will be there next month. SU is the cultural center for theater, and other artistic endeavors. There is a nice museum, the Everson Museum of Art, designed by I. M. Pei, that is within walking distance of campus.

In regards to crime, the two previous posters should have done their homework: Crime rates are not high compared to other cities of similar size. Furthermore, the area around the campus is very safe and policed by both City of Syracuse Police, SU Department of Public Safety (peace officers with arrest powers), and SUNY ESF Police.

Lastly, to answer your question regarding internship opportunities, Newhouse, because of its reputation, has a large number of internships available for students in Syracuse and throughout the US.

billy joel is culture? who’s the opening act? deep purple?. the symphony’s gone, everson has less art than Tully high. skiiing in syracuse? every store imaginable is leaving destiny. if you go to the mall on the weekends, don’t forget your shootin’ iron.

the question was how city-like is syracuse. it is very city-like if you define city as no tax base, no retail, no working population get-out -of the-city-as-soon-as-work-ends jobs. heroin,welfare,crime,ineffective pOlice, and a pitiful mayor. central new york is a great place. syracuse is an armpit. SU is an island in the middle of the netherworld. you can be relatively safe as long as you don’t cross the line, though there are no guarantees.

@jimtoes, Do you live in Syracuse? Have you been to Destiny USA or the Everson museum recently? I think not! I was at both this last week and what you describe is totally inaccurate. Yes, the question was how city like Syracuse is? Did you answer the question? I am not sure why you are spewing poison at Syracuse, but the potential students and parents who are reading this thread need to know that there are different opinions than yours regarding Syracuse.

I travel frequently to Syracuse and also attended school upstate NY where I did spend a good deal of time there as well many moons ago. Syracuse is a medium sized city but unfortunately a city that was very hard hit by the recent recession and has not really recovered. That is not to say that there aren’t things to do, places to shop and some good restaurants. I don’t feel uncomfortable walking around the campus area and recently had to attend a conference at the Convention Center across from the Everson Museum and the old War Memorial. I had to walk under I-81 or drive over to the Convention Center a few blocks from my hotel, I think now a Crowne Plaza. I didn’t feel unsafe doing so, but I wouldn’t have done so at night. The streets around were all deserted for the most part, not many eating options and there is the boarded up Hotel Syracuse property right there as well. It is definitely not as lively as it was back in the day and I doubt that the city itself or the mall is much of a draw for the students.

do i live in syracuse? yes. of course i do. it’s wonderful. i go to the everson every single day it is so fine. i look at the same few items every, single day, over and over, then i go to destiny, every, single,day. it is great.

you can see people walking around fallujah and beirut all the time. some people fly in, go to shops, see a sporting event, and leave all in one piece. i get your point now, sorry. i will now start chanting newhouse is great newhouse is great newhouse is great…

I am a little confused. Most college confidential posts are positive and give you a feel for the school. Syracuse is one of my dc’s top choices but there are a lot of negative posts. Also, not that many people respond to questions. Fortunately we know a few people that go to Syracuse that love it. Why are there so many haters on Syracuse CC?

i think it is clear that @jimtoes is not a big fan of Syracuse…can we get someone elses opinion now?

there are no big fans of the city of syracuse unless they’re getting paid to be one. the question was about the city.
detroit was the most prosperous city in the us in 1950, syracuse is right behind them, we all know why

@jimtoes, Congratulations! Have you been to Detroit? Tell me what similarities you see between Syracuse and Detroit? Are you by any chance a Syracuse University alum? I have a suspicion that you are not and harbor resentments because of that.

For the other readers of this thread, please note that @jimtoes is a new poster that has no credibility, has posted a grand total of 8 posts, half of which are in this thread, and clearly has a very negative opinion of Syracuse, comparing at first to Gary, Indiana, Akron, Ohio, and now Detroit. Believe what he says at your own peril.

there’s no-one on the planet that would have any reason to have any regrets or resentment for lacking the redoubtable SU degree. i know there are very few similarities between detroit, gary,syracuse other than demographics, tax base, finances, houses for less than $5,000, crime, murder rate, and empty retail buildings. other than those it’s a modern day shangrifreakingla.

enjoy billy joel, he got a new hip recently, also, air supply is doing an encore date at turning stone.

jimtoes, interesting to see your negative posts about Syracuse in light of your defense of Binghamton. Syracuse is not Detroit or Binghamton. What you say is relevant to Binghamton U because it is plopped down on a big box stores intense highway which requires students to be bussed or drive in and out and where there is no college town feel at all.

Syracuse is a delightful city for students. That isn’t to say that there is a rush of SU students committing their entire life to the city but it is a great place to go to school. The university itself is very pretty with a mix of older historic architecture and newer contemporary buildings. Thanks to the Newhouse School there has been a lot of growth-addition of world class studios and other buildings. The university has taken over spaces that had been vacant lots and dilapidated buildings, converting them to wildly contemporary buildings that still blend well with the more traditional buildings. The university has a well defined traditional campus with grassy spaces but it is integrated into the surrounding city also. It’s all very walkable. The area around the school has a traditional student/college town atmosphere vibe-loads of small student oriented shops, quaint cafe’s, bagel places and restaurants that stay busy and do well thanks to the influx of student money. You’ll find no big box stores around the university although a nearby mall provides easy access to every possible store and chain restaurant imaginable. I’ve heard its one of the biggest in the country. In contrast, area around the school is pretty much what you’d envision for a college town. The city has another nice artsy area a few blocks away with more upscale shops, cafes, breweries and sophisticated restaurants, a museum and theatre. I think that area caters more to professional and grad students. ESF, SUNY upstate’s med school and hospitals are all right there together-easy to walk to all. The college students are the most obvious but the graduate and professional students contribute a lot to the city. The high walkability of the city,with canals and some brick lined roads contributes to the traditional college town feel. There’s a lot of school spirit. I was impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of the students. There are run down areas in the city but they don’t appear to impact on the students. Areas close to the school that used to be that way are now very nice, incorporated into the school. The city is very supportive of the university and school spirit is shown all over the place in Syracuse and all over the country. It is not at all like Detroit or Binghamton.

Syracuse resident here (western suburbs). Syracuse is a typical Northeastern U.S. medium-sized city. Yes, it has gone through tough times - it was once a manufacturing center but most of the big companies have downsized or left town. Government, healthcare and education are the biggest employers now. It has some dangerous neighborhoods and there are occasional incidents downtown and at the mall, but no worse than most other places (I’ve lived elsewhere in the Northeast and have traveled extensively). That said, it does have a lot of good things about it. I feel as safe here as I do in any other city (if you are from a big city, the normal precautions apply). Armory Square is a great dining and nightlife destination and is starting to expand into the downtown Salina Street area. The original Dinosaur Barbeque restaurant is here and there are terrific Italian restaurants across town. There are coffee houses and a growing number of ethnic eateries. The museum scene is small but there are always music, theater and cultural activities available. There is ice skating at Clinton Square in the winter and many recreational activities within an hour’s drive as others have noted.

Bottom line - if you are expecting a New York City, Boston or Washington, you will be disappointed here. If you are willing to come to a smaller city and accept it for what it is, consider Syracuse.

Just my $0.02 worth.

syracuse is hosting the regional basketball tournament starting friday. the city and college are working 24/7 cleaning up areas around the dome and places that fans may walk to the game. they are cleaning up the usual assortment of trash,liquor bottles, garbage, condoms, body parts, feces, etc. and filling in one million potholes by friday.
let the facade begin! they do the same during parents weekend and other events. otherwise it’s all trash